While I may at this exact moment be sitting on my mom’s plush beige couch in San Antonio,Texas, Florence is never far from my mind. Especially this month of April which surely will be an exciting month for us all with Easter and more vacation coming up {because we can never have enough, right?}. The weather as usual will vary from Spring to rain to winter – but that’s ok because we live in the most beautiful city in the world. Plus this is the month you can see a cart blow up in front of the Duomo cathedral {tradition} as part of its famous Easter celebrations, it doesn’t get much better than that. Without further ado – lets find out what is going on in Florence for the month of April!

• Art for “shoeholics — exhibit “The Amazing shoemaker. Fairy tales about shoes and shoemakers until May 18
  Museo Ferragamo,
  Palazzo Spini Feroni
  Info:+39 055 3360456  http://www.museoferragamo.it/

• Marathon: Vivicittà Half Marathon Firenze 31° edizione : April 6th. historical centre
  Info:+39 055 6583501
  www.halfmarathonfirenze.it

• Film festival: Middle East Now: April 9–14. Odeon Cinehall, piazza Strozzi and the Auditorium Stensen, viale Don Minzoni 25c, Florence. One of my favorite film festivals of the year, more than 50 powerful films during this 6 day period, highly recommend a visit! more info here. 

• Art: Family Matters. Portraits and experiences of family today from March 14 to July 20
  Strozzina presso Palazzo Strozzi. I went to this exhibit before I left to America with a few friends and really enjoyed it. Especially the family photos that the families themselves chose where to sit and essentially, how they wanted to be represented. Interesting to say the least even if ‘mother toungue’ was a little disturbing (and meant to be, if you go you will see what I mean..).

• Slow art: Slow art day is on April 12th at 11am and yes, you too can participate in several locations around the city, more info (uffizi here).

• Worth a look! “Not the Usual Places 2014 – The Tuscan Region administration opens its historic buildings to the public , April 6th from 10am-12pm. Palazzo Sacrati Strozzi, Casa Rodolfo Siviero, Museo di storia della Sanità toscana, Casa-studio Leonardo Savioli. This looks pretty awesome!
  Info:+39 055 4385616

• Photography exhibit: The silence of the desert. Photographic exhibition by
  Roberto Ghedina, until April 12 at the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze. Opening hours: 10am – 12pm / 4pm – 7pm
  free entrance
  Info:+39 055 24919201
  +39 055 24919257
  www.bncf.firenze.sbn.it

• Guided visit to Pratolino Park on April 13th. You might have been here before but why not get an in-depth tour of the history and grounds by an expert! Villa Demidoff, Pratolino
  Info:+39 055 409537 email. [email protected]
  www.firenzeturismo.it/pratolino

• Guided visits: Guided visits to the gardens of the villas in Fiesole and Vaglia:
  Villa Il Salviatino 10, 17, 24 of April. Villa il Salviatino, Villa Nieuwenkamp, Villa Le Balze.
  call for Info:+39 055055 (h 9-12)+39 055
  5961311+39 055 5961293

• Easter! Scoppio del carro : The explosion of the cart – April 20 2014. A site to see, if you are in town head over here around 10am to see this amazing celebration of Easter. More info here.
  Piazza del Duomo Info:+39 055 2616056

• Open fair: Pasquetta a Fiesole! Easter Monday at Fiesole. Wine and food and handicrafts market, on April 21 in the main square: Piazza MinoInfo:+39 055 5961311
• +39 055 5962323
  www.comune.fiesole.fi.it

• Help out! TF clean up on April 22 and Cascine park, from The Florentine: The Florentine joins forces with Florentine volunteer institution Angeli del Bello for a spot of spring cleaning at the Cascine park! Join us at 2pm at the Cascine tram stop to spruce up Florence’s biggest and most beautiful green space. Team with the TF staff to cut the grass, clean up the stone benches and give something back to the city we all love! For more information, call 055/2306616 or email [email protected].

• Gelato festival: The gelato festival is back and with more than 100 stands this year, it’s surely going to be a gastronomic heaven for us all! starts on April 24th at the Fortezza di Basso and then moves to the Palazzo congressi gardens on May 1.

• Gardens: Opening of the Iris Garden from April 25 to May 20. This is a site to see, one of the most beautiful gardens in full bloom and one of my personal favorite places besides the rose garden below Piazzale Michelangelo. Giardino dell’Iris, Piazzale  Michelangelo – Balcone Est Info:+39 055 483112

• Artisan Fair: Mostra Internazionale dell’Artigianato 78th ART International Handicrafts Trade Fair from April 24 to May 1. This is hands down one of my favorite fairs in Florence. There is so much to see {and eat} and it feels a bit like you are visiting the world, one stand at a time. Highly recommend! Plus in 2014 they have added some new areas: Tuscan handicraft museums, garden art and much more!
  Fortezza da Basso
  Info:+39 055 49721
  www.mostrartigianato.it

• Art/Visits: AWA’s April events: Visit the gorgeous Villa Il Palermino on April 28 and check out the Pitti’s Modern Art Gallery on April 29 … (for the inauguration of Elisabeth Chaplin’s newly restored painting).

• Huge event: Love it or hate it, one of the most famous nights in Florence, Italy is back! La Notte Bianca The White Night, April 30th everywhere in the center of Florence.  centro storico historical centre Info: www.nottebiancafirenze.it

Outside of Florence

• Food Fair in Certaldo: Sagra del cinghiale – Wild Boar food festival. April 25-27th from 10 to 13, from 18 to 20, Centro Polivalente Info:+39 0571 661276, +39 0571 652697 +39 3351292579  www.comune.certaldo.fi.it